Bottle-soaking tank.



No. 829,547. PATENTED AUG. 28, 1906.

V R. SGHWARZBNBAGH.

BOTTLE SOAKING TANK. APPLI'UATION FILED 8EPT.14,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

6 A I A? 4 if 5/ Z ,necessary to thorough] UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed September 14,1905. Serial No. 278.451.

Patented Aug. 28, 1906.

To all whom it may concern: V

Be it known that I, ROLAND SCHWARZEN- BAOH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hornellsville, in the county of Steuben and State of New York, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Soaking Tanks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention relates to bottlesoaking tanks for use in brewing or bottling establishments where it is customary and soak and rinse empties or em ty bott es which have been returned for refil ing in order that the may be cleansed both inside and out and t e paper labels soaked off and removed preparatory to refillin and relabeling.

Genera ly stated, the invention comprises a tank or vat of any suitable proportions pro vided with a series of longitudinal stationary guides or guideways for the bottles to direct them in longitudinal rows throu h the tank, such guideways bein inclined ownwardly at the enterin or fee ing end of the tank, so that the bott es will readily fill with water, and the said ideways being inclined upward at the dlschargin end of the tank so that the water will read y run out of the bottles. The stationary longitudinal guideways are preferably'forrned in a rack the lowest part of which is some distance above the bot tom of the tank, so that impurities can settle and sufficient room be afforded for free circulation of water, means being preferably provided at the downwardly-inclined entering end of the tank to hold the empty bottles down until the fill with water, as will here inafter more fu ly appear.

drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal central sectional view of a tank embodyin my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of t e tank, showing the end supports for the bottle-deressing frame at the feeding end of the tank. ig. 3 1s a transverse sectional view of the tank taken on line 3 3 of Fi 1, looking in the direction of the arrow. ig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the bars or guides of the bottle-depressing frame.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 2

. denotes a tank or vat which may be of any suitable sha e and dimensions it having been found t at a tank sixteen eet Ion by three feet wide and eighteen inches eep forms a convenient and racticable size for soakin the ordinary bott es used by brewers in bott ing their goods, although as this matter of proportion is one which may be varied widely to suit the convenience of the work it will be understood that I do not limit my invention to any particular dimensions. The said tank or vat 2 isprovided with a supporting open-work rack or slatted bed 3 at a suitable distance below the top and above the bottom oflthe tank and below the surface of the water or cleansing fluid therein to insure the submergence of the bottles laid lengthwise upon the rack 3. The said rack 3 is constructed to provide a series of guideways or guides extending lengthwise through the tank and preferably formed by a series of spaced wooden slats 4, such as are shown in the drawings herewith, the guidin '-rack thus formed being suitably supported by crossbars, as shown. The guides comprised by the said rack 3 are inclined upwardly at the ends of the rack from the middle ortion thereof, as shown, said inclined ends 5extending above the surface of the water in the tank 2, as will be clearly seen from Fig. 1.

At the feeding end of the tank (the lefthand end in Fi 1) above the inclined portion 5 of the rac 3 is provided with a correspondingly-inelined upwardly-yielding apron or frame 6, which is made up of a series of bars supported by means of adjustable and yielding bolts or hangers 7 from suitable cross-bars 8, adjustably and 'yieldin ly mounted on the sides of the tank 2. he bars of this frame or apron 6 are preferabl provided on their lower faces with hal round depressing-guides 9, which may be conveniently formed of tin or other thin In the drawings herewith-I have illustrated, one embodiment of my invention, and in said sheet metal, so that when the bottles are fed in at the feeding end of the tank this yielding frame 6 will serve to guide them alon the. rack 3 and hold them down until they ave been completely submerged and filled with water, after which of course the bottles will remain submer ed of their own weight. The upwardly-yielding depressing-grades 9, which are preferably pressed down y springs, as shown, will accommodate themselves to bottles of somewhat different sizes and shapes.

In operation the workman will start the empties in at the feeding end of the tank 2, placing a row of bottles across the feedinginc inc 5 of the tank with each bottle resting in a guideway formed by the separated slats or pipes 4 of the. rack, and these rows of bottles will be forced in under the holdin frame or aplron 6 by the succeeding row of ottles. As t e workman feeds the bottles down beneath the apron 6 the bottles first inserted will be submerged and filled with water and will then be slowly ushed out by the succeedin bottles from eneath the frame 6 and throug the tank over the slatted rack by the continuously-advancing lines of bottles fed in at the feeding end of the tank2. In assing through the tank 2 the bottles will be subjected to a thorough soaking inside and out and when they reach the delivery end of the tank will have been thoroughl cleansed. The soaked. and cleansed bott as will be forced up the inclined end 5 of the rack 3 at the delivery end of the tank, as will be obvious, and an attendant stationed there will remove them.

It will be observed that the bottles are fed into the tank bottom first, for the reason that this manner of feeding not only causes the bottles to fill with water more readily at the feeding end of the tank because there will be no cultilping1 or inclosing of air therein, as might e t e case if they were fed in neck first, but for the further and important advantage that as the bottles move up the inolined rack 5 at the delivery end of the tank they will be gradually drained and em tied, (see Fig. 1,) so that when removed by t e attendant at the delivery end of the tank the are practically in condition for refilling, a though, if desired, they may be further drained and dried out b stacking or placing thelrtn upon any suitab e draining table or me If desired, the delivery end of the tank may be provided with a receiving rack or grating 10, upon which the bottles will be caught if any of them are pushed out of the delivery end of the tank from the several continuous rows before the receiving attendant can remove them.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A bottle soaking and cleansing apparatus com rising a tank or vat provided with a series 0 longitudinal stationary idea by which the bottles may be directe endwise through the said tank or vat, said guides being inclined downward at the entering or feeding end of the said tank or vat and being inclined upward at the discharging end of the said tank or vat, so that the bottles will readily fill with water as the are entered into the said tank or vat and wi 1 be drained or emptied as they are forced toward the discharging end thereof.

2. A bottle soakin and cleansing a paratus comprising a tan or vat having t erein an open-work rack above the bottom of the said tank or vat and constructed to provide a series of stationar longitudinal guides extendin through t c said tank or vat, said 7 ides eing inclined downward at the entering or feeding end of the said tank or vat and being inclined upward at the discharging end of the said tank or vat, so that the bottles Will readil fill with water as they are entered into tfie said tank or vet and will be drained or emptied as they are forced toward the dischargin end thereof.

3. A bottle soaking and cleansing apparatus comprising a tank or vat provided with a series 0 longitudinal stationary uides by which the bottles may be directed endwise through the said tank or vat, said guides being inclined downward at the entering or feeding end of the said tank or vat and being inclined upward at the discharging end of the said tank or vat, so that the bottles Will readily fill with Water as they are entered into the said tank or vat and will be drained or emptied as they are forced toward the discharging end thereof, the downwardly-inclined enteri parts of said guides being partly comprose of an overlying u ward y yielding ame or apron havin gui ing parts, as g, to cause the empty bott es to be submerged.

4. A bottle soakin and cleansing apparatus comprising a tank or vat having t erein an open-work rack above the bottom of the said tank or vat and constructed to provide a series of stationary lon itudinal guides extending through said tan or vat, said guides being inclined downward at the entering or feeding end of the said tank or vat a (1 being inclined upward at the discharging end of the said tank or vat, so that the bottles will readily fill with water as the are entered into the said tank or vat and wi 1 be drained or emptied as they are forced toward the discharging end thereof, the downwardlyinclined entering parts of said uides being artly comosed of an over ying 11 war ly yielding ame or apron havin gui ing parts, as g, to cause the empty bott es to be submerged.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROLAND SCHWARZENBACH.

Witnesses:

BERT F. NASH, ALBERT J WOELFEL. 

